Method of treating cotton wadding and product thereof



Patented Align 1 7, 1943 t I UNITED 1 STATES PATENT.

trims:

METHODOF TREATIN'G COTTON WADDING AND PRODUCT THEREOF i g George A. Cruickshank, Riverside, R. "L, assignor to Johnson & Johnson, New a corporation of New. Jersey Brunswick,

No Drawing. Application January 1940, .7 Serial No. 312,624 I 8 Glaims.

- is prepared by laying up say 10 to 20 fleeces from a corresponding number of cards in line. No adhesive or other means is required to cause cohesion between the constituent laminae, as the lay of the fibers is sufiiciently loose and wild to produce, in the batting, a product in which the individual identities of the constituent laminae are largely lost.

Cotton wadding has in the 'past been prepared by sizing the cotton batting with starch, on one side or both. Ordinari1y,"the starch is licked onto the batting from a starch solution of say A of 1% concentration, and the batting is then dried by passage over drumdriers.

The resulting wadding has what is commonly called an onion skin sizing, due to the resemblance of the the wadding after use.

the filter but, even so, .appreciable washing ocsurface layer to onion skin paper. An, alterna- 'tive method of making the'wadding is to more.

or less completely impregnate the batting with the starch solution, by one or more treatments -therewith,'each followed by drying. There is no very great distinction between the waddings made by these two methods except thatthe second 3 method (impregnation) as may be expected, gives a somewhat denser product and a somewhat greater distribution or penetration of starch sizing beyond the surfaces. After manufacture, the

wedding is cut to the desired dimensions f or use.

The high absorbency and porosity of cotton wadding, its considerable strength when dry, and

' its freedom from foreign materials such as fillers and sizing agents (other than the starch, which is present. only in a very small-amount), make it particularly useful fora number of purposes. Its wet strength more particularly its resistance to disruption or even distortion when subjected to fluids in motion, however, is poor and it is, therefore, not well adapted for purposes wherein it must be used wet and at the same time possess strength. At present the common way of over-, coming this lack of wet strength or so-called wash resistance is by facing the wadding on one or both sides with cotton gauzewhich tend to retain the surface fibers in their original-posi- However, auxiliary agents to promote solubility, l

tions. This, however, involves additional steps and additional material, and alsoin some instances complicates the matter-of disposing of In spite of its lack of wet strength orlack of wash resistance, cotton wadding made in the conventional manner, and without any gauze facing, is usedfor some pur'posesin which it must be completely'wet, for example, in the filtration of liquids such .as milk. In such uses, however, .it disintegrates rapidly. Thus,- in filtering it readily tends to wash,'i'. e. the starch sizing loses its effectiveness and the fibers wash or peel away from areas of the surface, especially under the influence of the usual ,swirling and other cross currents in the body of the liquid .as it comes in contact with the face 'of the filter.- It is usual to provide metal-screens above and below curs unless the filter is changed frequently. The washed areas, of course, diminish the efliciency of the filter and also, due to their weakness, are

susceptible of being broken'th'rough more or less completely by the weight andmotion of the liquid.

It is, therefore, anobject of this invention to provide cotton wadding which is so bonded that while possessing the desirable absorbency -and porosity of ordinary unfaced cotton wadding, also possesses marked wet strength in the sense of greatly improved resistance'to washing, when subjected to the flow of liquids through it, as in. filtration.

Another object is to employ an improved bondingagent in the preparation of cotton wadding from cotton batting, said bonding agent being applied from water solution andhence requiring neither special solvents nor special procedure in its application. V Other objects will appear from the present disclosure. 1 f Thebonding agents used in carrying out the procedure of the present invention must be soluble in hot water, e..g above about 150F. and

substantially insoluble-or non-dispersible in'cold' water, e. g. at about room temperature or lower. 1 The solubility in hot water may vary consider ably between diflferent bonding agents, but those which are suitable must be completelysolublje in 1 at least the concentration required for providing a suflicient bond. In-some instances a cutting agent may be used to promote water-.solubihty.

setting, or other efiects are preferably omitted as it is important for most uses that the finished wadding be entirely free from agents which might in any ay contribute toward toxicity, contamination, or adverse physiological properties either in the finished product or in liquids or other materials with which it comes in contact.

The bonding agents must also be capable of providing a wadding which possesses a good wet strength or resistance to washing, as determined by tests as hereinbelow described. These propnation.

These agents should, therefore, be capable, when applied from their water solution, of forming relatively strong, coherent webs having high strength when subjected to aqueous liquids at about room temperature or lower, specifically below about 1 0 F.

' Inasmuch as a principal use for cotton wadding in which it is subjected to contact with and is completely wetted by liquids is as filters for milk,

the wet strength or washing tests referred to above will be described in connection with such use, but without limitation of the general scope and utility of the present invention. In preparing milk filters, the wadding is blanked out into disks of standard sizes, usually six inches in diameter and weighing between 19 and 23 grains,

and made up into packages of say 50 or 100 disks. The standard type of apparatus in which the milk is filtered has a capacity of somewhat over quarts, and consists of a cylindrical upper portion attached to a frustro-conical lower portion which tapers downwardly to about a five inch diameter orifice in which the filter disk is placed. The orifice is provided with suitable ioraminous 'top and bottom plates between which the filter is positioned. There are a number of styles and types of these orifice plates commonly available, but for uniformity of results, the socalled Borden type arrangement is used in the tests herein described. In practical use, the Borden type is about intermediate, with respect to the conditions imposed upon the filter disks, be-

tween mild and severe conditions. The conventional milk filter disk supported to be discarded after the passage of ten gallons of milk therethrough due tothe effects of washing and disintegration.

The tests referred to herein are, therefore, conveniently carried out on filter disks of cotton wadding inserted ina Borden type. milk filter through which tengallons of milk or comparable liquid is poured. Since in ordinary use the milk is at about 80 to 90 F., the milk or other liquid used in the tests should be, of essentially the same temperaturefor comparable results; The filter disks, after. this treatment, are then examined for wet strength and for any evidence of washing. When subjected to the conditions of this test, filter disks made of ordinarystarch-sized wadding have very little wet strength or resistance to washing; they tend to sag when suspended by f one edge, and on crumpling in the hand they cannot be flattened out again without disruption and separation. Ordinarily they do not wash under the conditions of this test but they are about on theborderline between washing and non-washing in this regard. as evidenced by the fact that they do wash occasionally and also by the fact that the passage of any appreciable amount of liquid above ten gallons results in definite washing.

Filter disks made from wadding prepared in accordance with the present invention, on being subjected to the tests just described, show marked wet strength, as evidenced by lack of tendency to sag and by the fact that, after crumpling in thehand, they can be easily spread out into essentially the same shape and condition as before crumpling without appreciable rupture or distortion. They also show no tendency to wash even on the passage of some excess of liquid above ten gallons.

One suitable bonding agent for use in the present invention in agar-agar. For such use this material is made up into a solution containing one part by weight of agar-agar to between to 400 parts of hot water, more or less. The solution is then licked onto the cotton batting and the treated product dried on drums or by other suitable means. The solution is preferably applied to each side of the batting in two separate operations, drying between. In each application the amount of liquid taken up is conveniently about equal to the weight of the cotton batting being treated and the. resulting dry wadding should have an amount of agar-agar which is at least about equal to that obtained from two such applications of a0.25% solution of agaragar', i. e. should contain at least about 0.50% of dry agar-agar, principally as a surface or porous onion skin bond. Lesser amounts result in a tendency to wash. On the other hand, an amount of agar-agar greater than about 3% on the finished product results in considerable decrease in porosity of the wadding and in excessive density as well as being unnecessary and, hence, wasteful of materials. It is clear that the concentration of the solution may be modified considerably because the number of applications. and the amount of each may be varied, but the amount of agar-agar bonding on the finished wadding should preferably be within the limits specified. Wadding so prepared passes fully the 1 requirements of the foregoing test.

Another efiective bonding agent and one which is even more eiiective, weight for weight, than agar-agar, is polyvinyl alcohol of the hot-water soluble, cold-water insoluble or non-dispersible type. Polyvinyl alcohol to which the formula (--CH2--CHOH- )nis commonly given, may be prepared ina" cordance with U. S. Patent No. 1,672,156 and e -sts in various degrees of water solubility and viscosity, depending principally upon the degree of polymerization. These various types are largely classifiable under two headings: (a) soluble in' water at room temperature and thereabouts but of decreased solubility at temperatures in excess of about F.; and (b) insoluble in water at about room temperature or below, although softening and swelling therein, but soluble in water at above about 150 F. The first of these is unsuitable for the present purposes as a bond formed therefrom would be too soluble in water or aqueous fluids at ordinary temperatures; the second of these is, however, very well suited for use in the procedure of this I invention. It may be applied in the manner as above described for agar-agar but smaller amounts are required'ior equal efiectiveness, approximately 40% as much being required to give the same results as when agar-agar is used depending upon the source of manufacture of polyvinyl alcohol it being recognized by those familiar with polyvinyl alcohol that the latter product from different sources has slightly different characteristics. Thus, the amount of bond deposited from 0.1% solution of the second of the abovementioned types of polyvinyl alcohol produced from one known source gives results equivalent to those obtained from an equal weight of an 0.25% solution of agar-agar. As in the case of the latter, the amount of polyvinyl alcohol bond may be considerably increased but more than about 1 to 2% thereof on the completed wedding is not only wasteful of materials but impedes penetrability and porosity and gives a product which is excessively dense and harsh surfaced. About 0.2% of the polyvinyl alcohol bond as derived from one recognized source, confined principally to the surfaces, is the minimum amount which will secure effective wet strength or wash resistance.

Still another suitable bonding agent is sodium alginate. This may be applied in the manner already described using a solution of about 1 part of sodium alginate to between 1000 and 2000 parts of water. Solution is effected by heating, as is done with agar-agar and polyvinyl alcohol. Solutions of sodium alginate are more viscous than those having an equal concentration of either of the other two agents and, hence, the cotton batting tends to pick up larger quantities thereof in the bonding operation, However, the effectiveness of sodium alginate is intermediate that of agar-agar and that of polyvinyl alcohol, on a weight basis. More specifically it is found that approximately the same wet strength or nonwashing properties are attained when the relative amounts of bonding of agar-agar, polyvinyl alcohol, and sodium alginate on the wedding are as 2.5:1:1.5.

Other metallic salts of alginic acid may be found to be suitable.

As already pointed out, the wadding made in accordance with this invention should have the bond present largely as a coating on the surface fibers, thus forming an onion skin efiect. Appreciable amounts of bond between the two surfaces are not desirable as they reduce porosity and absorbency.

If desired, mixtures of any of the forgoing bonding agents may be used, or mixtures of these with other suitable materials which may or may not contribute to the desired result may be empioyed.

It should, of course, be understood that other bonding agents meeting the particular requirements herein'set forth may also be employed and that the foregoing examples relating to agar-agar, polyvinyl alcohol and sodium alginate are for illustration only and are not to be considered as limiting this invention solely thereto.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new:

1. Filter media characterized by marked wash resistance, comprising a sheet-like structure of loosely associated fibers, the fibers near and at the surface of the sheet being physically bonded at their points of contact by a cold water nondispersible bond of polyvinyl alcohol, the interstices between the points of contact of said fibers at and near the surface of said sheet and the interior fibers of said sheeting being relatively free of saidbonding substance whereby fluids such as milk may be filtered through said sheet.

2. Filter media characterized by marked wash resistance, comprising a sheet-like structure of loosely associated fibers, the fibers near and at the surface of the sheet being physically bonded at their points of contact by a substance having the property of being cold water non-dispersible, the interstices between the points of contact of said fibers at and near the surface of said sheet and the interior fibers of said sheet being relatively free of said bonding substance whereby fluids such as milk may be filtered through said sheet.

3. Filter media characterized by marked wash resistance, comprising a sheet-like structure of loosely associated fibers, the fibers near and at the surface of the sheet being physically bonded at their points of contact by a bonding substance made from an aqueous solution having not less than 0.2% of a cold water non-dispersible polyvinyl alcohol, the interstices between the points of contact of said fibers at and near the surface of said sheet and the interior fibers of said sheet being relatively free of said bonding substance whereby fluids such as milk may be filtered through said sheet.'

4. A filter disk having good handling qualities, normal porosity and absorbency, and high resistance to washing, comprising cellulosic wedding the surface fibers of which are bonded by a bond made from a water solution of a bond of the hotwater soluble cold-water insoluble type containing from 1 to 2% of polyvinyl alcohol.

5. A filter disk having good handling qualities normal porosity and absorbency, and high resistance to washing, comprising cellulosic wadding the surface fibers of which are bonded by a bond made from a water solution of a bond of the hot-water soluble cold-water insoluble type containing not less than about 0.1% and not more than about 2% of polyvinyl alcohol.

6. Filter media characterized by marked wash resistance, comprising a sheet-like structure of loosely associated fibers, the fibers near and at the surface of the sheet being physically bonded at their points of contact by a cold water nondispersible agar-agar, the interstices between the points of contact of said fibers at and near the surface of said sheet and the interior fibers of said sheeting being relatively free of said bonding substance whereby fluids such as milk may be filtered through said sheet.

7. Filter media characterized by marked wash resistance, comprising a sheet-like structure of loosely associated fibers, the fibers near and at the surface of the sheet being physically bonded at their points of contact by a cold water nondispersible sodium alginate, the interstices between the points of contact of said fibers at and near the surface of said sheet and the interior fibers of said sheeting being relatively free of said bonding substance whereby fluids such as milk may be filtered through said sheet.

8. Filter media characterized by marked wash resistance comprising a sheet-like structure of loosely associated fibers, the fibers near and at the surface of the sheet being physically bonded at their points of contact by a cold water nondispersible bonding substance made from a solution containing not more than 2% of polyvinyl alcohol, the interstices between the points of contact of said fibers at and near the surface of said sheet and the interior fibers of said sheet being relatively free of said bonding substance whereby fluids such as milk may be filtered through said sheet.

GEORGE A. CRUICKSHANK.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

f ra no; "$527,250. August .17, 1915.

GEORGE A CRUICKSHANK.

lit is hereby certified that errormap'pears .in the printed specification of the above nupzbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2 first column, Line 55", for "supported" read -supposed-- and that the said Letters Patent ehouldbe read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the recordof .the casein the Patent Office. Signed and sealed this 19th day of October, A. D. 19145;

' Henry Van Arsdale,

(Sealf- Acting Commie sinner offatenta.

Disclaimer 2,827,250.--Ge0rge A. Gruickshank, Riverside, R. 1. METHOD or TREATING Oo'r'ron WADDING AND PRODUCT THEREOF. Patent dated Aug. 17, 1943. Disclaimer filed Oct. 15, 1947, by the assignee, Johnson db Johnson. Hereby disclaims from the scope of claim 2 all filtermedia bonded with substances that are not dispersible in hot water.

[Oflieial Gazette December 9, 1947.] 

